Felt Outsole

There’s a simple reason felt-soled wading shoes have been the go-to standard for anglers for decades – they just plain perform.

Built for a life on the rocks

Felt soles are at their sure-footed best on rocky river bottoms. The soft sole instantly conforms to the variations in the surface of the rocks to give you maximum contact and therefore maximum traction. The additional sole softness also makes moving silently along the river bottom easier for added stealth as you stalk into a hot spot. Felt-sole shoes also provide sure footed traction along dry rocks around the stream, giving you the confidence to press on to untapped areas.

Felt soles compress and rebound to follow the uneven contours of the stream bed and maximize ground contact with each step. That added contact delivers super traction to give you a sure-footed confidence as you push up a stream and navigate your way into a hotspot.

And felt’s contour-following adaptability means you get traction on everything from smooth dry rocks up on shore, to pebbled stream bottoms and even on slick silt and muck riverbeds.

Studs increase the traction.

The fastest streams and most uncertain situations needn’t have you calling it a day. Because any felt-soled wading shoe can be upgraded with studs to further increase the traction and give you the confidence to press on in search of real fishing action.

Studs are a serious upgrade that mitigate nearly any disadvantage felt soles have: they give you grip on snowy, icy surfaces during early season outings and give you added grip along steep, grassy shorelines.

Invasive species – Felt’s only downfall?

The spread of invasive species across streams has lead some states to ban the use of felt soles, so make sure you check your local regulations. It’s a contentious issue, but we most certainly encourage you to follow the regulations. If the book says no, we also offer a full selection of rubber-soled wading shoes with and without studs to give you traction without running afoul of the law.